Exams cancelled

[noblegiraffe]

Alternative arrangements will be made.

How stressful to announce that with no details about what will happen.

@HasaDigaEebowai

But we have to understand why people wanted them cancelled and given that they are cancelled if we want them back, then some acknowledgement needs to be made for those entirely valid concerns.

I would have thought that's pretty evident. My DS's school do mainly iGCSEs and so they are still having most of their exams, but the parents are up in arms because they'd far rather their children get grades based on what the teachers think their children are capable of than run the risk that their child (who has always for example been an A grade student and so would get an a grade from the teacher through the CAG process) has a nightmare on the day in the exam and comes out with a B/C. The children with CAGs have all the risk removed.

Nothing about this is fair though.

A friend of mine is exactly like this. She is desperate for cags and no exams as her dc has been predicted all A* for A level.

DS2 would be gutted to get a 'leavers certificate'. He's bright across all subjects, and wants to achieve that for himself and demonstrate that to universities and employers of the future. That would do some kids even more injustice and be massively demoralising.
Both my DC want to sit exams because they do well in them. As do lots of their friends. Older DS did better than his teachers predicted in most of his GCSE's.
And compensation mark wise should be made on the basis of school registered isolation only, per episode, regardless of the number of actual days. Its not foolproof but it goes some way to addressing the disparity.

Oh believe me noble, if I wanted to I could bring out my machete by going into my own qualifications and profession

I agree with you that if isolation is adjusted for, it needs to be repeated isolation. If only to reduce on admin as a huge number of DC, including my own, had a two-week isolation period.

I’m going to say again that children in the shielding category would need to be considered if isolation is (viewing them as separate terms). I’m in London and in the extremely vulnerable/shielding category. I had to shield during the local November month-long lockdown and then again from December when we went into Tier 4. The govt advice was to consider shielding in between those two period as well. But even if not doing that part, those kids in London & Kent etc who had to shield in Nov were disadvantaged, despite being privileged Southerners. And yes I accept it was probably worse for Northern shielding kids; I’m giving my perspective as someone who knows what the SE shielders had to do.

@noblegiraffe

Kids can reply to the consultation!

But the consultation does give the option of retaining exams.

And the questions are very clever in that they don’t actually give the chance to give an opinion.

I feel the questions are too focussed on external “tests” and are worded so that if you don’t agree with the concept of them it is difficult to fill it in.

A friend of mine is exactly like this. She is desperate for cags and no exams as her dc has been predicted all A for A level.*

If I'm completely honest, I'm the same. DS1 is predicted 7 9s and 3 8s. He might get this in his exams, he might even do better and get all 9s. But he could have a bad day and end up with 7s. If given the choice to remove the risk I'd remove the risk for him.

I know the consultation period is 2 weeks but how soon after that will decisions be published? Has a date been provided?

@NotDonna

I know the consultation period is 2 weeks but how soon after that will decisions be published? Has a date been provided?

I don’t know but I suspect the answer is no...

Or if one has been provided, it’ll be for a date in May.

As early as May 🤣

@NotDonna

I know the consultation period is 2 weeks but how soon after that will decisions be published? Has a date been provided?

End of Feb was the suggested timescale.

@HasaDigaEebowai

A friend of mine is exactly like this. She is desperate for cags and no exams as her dc has been predicted all A for A level.*

If I'm completely honest, I'm the same. DS1 is predicted 7 9s and 3 8s. He might get this in his exams, he might even do better and get all 9s. But he could have a bad day and end up with 7s. If given the choice to remove the risk I'd remove the risk for him.

My dd is very similar. She is desperate to take them though to prove to herself she deserves them and to make all the hard work and revision (that she’s still spending hours each day on) worthwhile.

I’m not sure a certificate would be the same, especially to determine suitability for a level courses if there are limited places.

End of Feb would be good. And in its entirety, not we’re doing this but will let you know the finer points soon...
Is there any reason why the exam boards can’t mark their own mini assessments? I suggested this on the consultation as think it’s just too much work for teachers & don’t understand why they can’t be externally marked. Am I missing something?

donna that was me bring optimistic

In all seriousness, end of Feb is far too late. I know these things take time to do properly but the continued uncertainty is causing so much stress and anxiety for the students.

I’ve just been silently observing a GCSE maths class. At least 10 minutes was spent with the students questioning whether they’ll be assessed in the homework that’s been set, what they need to do, their thoughts on Gavin Williamson etc and the teacher having to reassure and explain without being able to give answers.

Never mind the loss of learning, the emotional & mental strain put on this cohort and their teachers (and parents) has been unnecessarily cruel.

@Stormer sorry OT but were you observing the lesson as a staff member?

@noblegiraffe

Sorry just saw a typo on my post

“But the consultation does give the option of retaining exams.”

Should read But the consultation does NOT give the option of retaining exams.

It sounded like external tests were a done deal.

End of Feb waaaaaay too late for me!

I am assuming it is logistics donna of sending stuff off (also H and S) and also the assumption that these may not all be done on the same date.

@KittyMcKitty I’m going to neither confirm nor deny. But it was legit and authorised. You can make of that what you will

Still think the exam boards are getting off lightly. The consultation seemed to think otherwise.

Thinking it should be end of jan at the latest really...

[quote Stormer]@KittyMcKitty I’m going to neither confirm nor deny. But it was legit and authorised. You can make of that what you will [/quote]
If it’s legit and authorised then that’s all fine 😀. I’m not criticising however I wouldn’t want parents sitting in my child’s class in real life without authorisation and feel the same with online lessons. I’m very pro online lessons but do feel the same protocols should apply as with people being in the classroom.

I was getting my months muddled and thinking end of Feb would be in 2 weeks time. IAnother 6 weeks is ridiculous.

Why this wasn’t thought through and consulted on during summer is beyond me. ‘Exams will go ahead’ is one thing but not having a contingency plan at all beggars belief.

But even if not doing that part, those kids in London & Kent etc who had to shield in Nov were disadvantaged, despite being privileged Southerners

Stormer I think that kids who had to isolate individually due to close contact outside of school/shielding had it worse than those isolating in a group from school as they were more likely to be properly provided for.

I’d make it easy by just looking for Xs in the register.

@KittyMcKitty of course Believe me I wouldn’t have put that on here in this section with these posters if I couldn’t stand by it.

However for primary age and years 7s & 8s, I suspect the reality is that many parents are listening in, albeit not actively by intention. My DC’s secondary school has changed the online platform they’re using from X to Y partly because, and I quote, many parents prefer X. A lot of parents will be setting up their lessons on their laptops for their DC. Or in the same room lightly supervising that the work Is being done ... or just in the same room. Some schools say students can’t be on their laptops in their bedrooms. Which limits the areas they can be in a time when many parents are also working from home.

Watermelon999

portico
For me, I have Y11 and Y13 sons this year. My concern is impact of resits on university applications for Y11 son, if the CAGs are not sufficiently high enough. If he resits in Nov and gets higher grades, it will prejudiced by those universities that will not accept refit grades
Do you think it will be hard work resitting GCSEs at the same time as studying for a levels?

A few year 12s I know are really struggling with the transition to a levels at the moment , especially the workload expected of them. We’ve no recent experience of this (mine were nearly 30 years ago) so would welcome advice.

Hi Watermelon999
I’m resigned to Nov resits, abd wevarevtrying to prioritise in such a way that the resits we would have to would be any/all of the sciences, Eng Lang, Maths and Economics. Other subjects like Lit too much to learn. Depending on CAG performance he may credit in Nov and start A levels in 2022.

*typo (again) “many parents prefer Y”